PGP Whole Disk Encryption: Windows Installation Instructions

NOTE: If your system is dual-boot or features a utility partition (recovery or Dell Media Direct) it is not compatible for PGP Whole Disk Encryption. If you have a Dell Inspiron M1210, Dell E5400 or Dell XPS please call AskIT at 205-996-5555 before attempting to encrypt your machine with PGP.

Back up your data - Prior to downloading or installing any encryption software such as PGP, be sure to back up your data to a trusted source. Devices such as external drives, CDs, DVDs and network drives are recommended for storage of important documents. it would also be a good idea to ensure that your have the ability to reinstall any important software if any data loss should actually occur.

Defragment - Prior to encryption, you may wish to defragment your computer to speed up the encryption process. To do so, click the Start menu. Point to Programs>Accessories>System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter. Click the Analyze button; a report will appear telling you whether or not defragmentation is recommended. If it is, click the Defragment button to begin; if not, close Disk Defragmenter and proceed to the next step.

Check the disk for disk errors - Under normal operation, many hard drives do not exhibit any signs of corruption or flaws, but when the data on the drive is encrypted, those issues can present a greater problem leading to file corruption, and in some cases complete loss of the operating system. In order to identify and correct these issues before any loss is incurred, SpinRite was purchased for the campus and is available on the IT Software Library site for faculty and staff. The software will assist you in creating a bootable CD that will scan and correct any disk errors. This step is optional, but is also highly recommended.

Check power and network connections - Before installing, be sure your computer is plugged into a wall outlet and has an active network connection.

Download and Install PGP Software

Go to the UAB Software Library, located at www.uab.edu/it/software. Locate the appropriate PGP software and click to begin downloading.

Prior to installation, be sure to close all running programs and save anything you are working on.

Navigate to where you saved the software and launch the PGP installer. In the PGP Desktop window, select English.

Click Yes to reboot. When the computer has rebooted and you log in, the PGP Setup Assistant should automatically appear.

When prompted for domain credentials, enter your BlazerID and password.

Select "I am a new user", and click Next.

Click Next.

The next box to pop up will be a prompt to create a passphrase user. Enter the username and password you use to log into your system. In many areas of campus, this is also your BlazerID and password with a domain of UAB.

The program should begin to automatically encrypt the disk in the background while you go about your normal work. Note: Encryption may take up to eight hours. If necessary, you can shut down the computer (Start>Shutdown>Turn off computer), but DO NOT abruptly power off the system.

When the encryption of the boot drive is complete, the lower icon will become a solid padlock.

From this point on, prior to booting Windows, you will receive a gray PGP boot screen in which you are prompted to enter the passphrase that you entered during setup. Entering a correct passphrase permits access to the machine and will log you into the Windows operating system through the single sign-on feature.